A few weeks ago at work, one of my co-workers asked me why I am unable to watch TV or binge watch Netflix shows? The simple and easy answer is, my attention span for that is about 15 minutes and it’s usually while I am eating dinner with my laptop on my lap; and I do other things.
Let’s examine all those other things I do when I come home from my full-time job:
I wake-up at 6:15am.
I leave the house at 6:45am and arrive home around 5:15pm.
From 5:15pm to 5:45, I play with Niko.
From 5:45 to 6:15, I feed Niko dinner. This is also when I empty the dishwasher and if Niko allows me, I will place the dirty dishes in the sink.
From 6:15 to 6:30, I play with Niko and together we clean-up his toy area.
At 6:30, the three of us go upstairs. I get Niko undressed and while he is bathing with mom, I clean-up his room and prepare it for sleeping, I fold and/or run the laundry, I gather all the trash to bring downstairs, I get my clothes ready for the next day, and I gather any dishes that need to put in the dishwasher.
At 7, I get Niko out of the bath, dry him, put his sleeping pajamas on, sing songs to make him sleepy, and gently put him in the crib.
At 7:15, I make sure Nina is OK and then I gather everything I need to bring downstairs; clothes, dishes, and trash.
I have a downstairs routine down pat…
The first thing I do is I neatly place my clothes in the bathroom and all the clean dish towels are put in there special place. Next, I empty the kitchen trash and clean the kitty litter. Then, I clean-up any remnants in the kitchen and prepare dishwasher for running in the middle of the night. Now, I can prepare my meals for the next day and that always includes cleaning everything I use. By this time, it’s around 7:30 and I can start thinking about dinner. Sometimes I eat leftovers and sometimes I cook fresh and again, that means I need to clean everything before I leave.
At 7:45, I eat my dinner while my laptop is on my lap; this is my best and only time for watching TV. No baby, no Nina, no cat; well, actually the cat comes and sits behind me on the sofa, nobody asking me questions, and no distractions. It’s my free-time and I enjoy it, but I also miss my wife. So, now it’s 8:00 and I stop watching TV and check my email, check Facebook, check Twitter, do some writing, check Facebook, check Twitter, check my email, check Instagram on my phone, check Facebook, check Twitter, check my email, do some writing, and talk to the kitten. During this process, I am also watching Niko sleep. Now, it’s 8:15 and I am done. It’s time to put my dishes from dinner in the dishwasher and set it to run around Midnight, say goodnight to Franklin cat, pee, turn of the lights, and go upstairs in the dark; I always use my phone flashlight. When I open the bedroom door, I am so glad and excited to see Nina even if it’s only for a few minutes; because she needs to get her beauty sleep. Before I go to sleep for the night and if needed, I do a laundry swap. OK, so now I can finally say goodnight around 9:00. See you at 6:15am.
Please note that these times vary, but you get the gist of my evenings. Busy with lots of stuff to be done and I never complain about any of it; I just do it.
